In 2016, research from Fire Door Safety Week revealed that commercial buildings are the most likely of buildings to break fire door safety regulations and therefore putting occupiers at risk. Further details reported that over the past few years, 93% of tradespeople working on site witnessed fire doors being propped open illegally in a commercial or public building.
63% proclaimed that common faults in these buildings were fire doors not closing properly and 73% said that the biggest problem was that many doors did not have intumescent seals which is vital for the fire doors performance. Additional issues included fire doors not closing properly (63%), incorrect signage (49%), general wear and tear (47%) and loose or faulty latches (30%).
“It is great to see a campaign that doesn’t just point the finger, but focuses on what we need to know so that we can all encourage best practice. To make a difference, we all need to take responsibility and report signs of wear and tear and where fire doors are not being used properly. I welcome the continued efforts of all of those involved in the campaign and am very pleased to lend my support.”
Brandon Lewis MP, Fire Minister
An effective, planned maintenance schedule would certainly improve the longterm performance of installed fire doors. As a result of correctly maintaining fire doors, not only is the risk to the building users reduced, but the operational life of the door potentially increased.